Linguistics::EN::

WordNet

module

Extended With: Linguistics::EN::WordNet::SingletonMethods

WordNet support for the English-language Linguistics module. It requires the Ruby-WordNet module to be installed; if it is not installed, calling the functions defined by this file will raise NotImplementedErrors.

# Test to be sure the WordNet module loaded okay.
Linguistics::EN.has_wordnet?
# => true

# Fetch the default synset for the word "balance"
"balance".en.synset
# => #<WordNet::Synset:0x40376844 balance (noun): "a state of equilibrium"
 (derivations: 3, antonyms: 1, hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 3)>

# Fetch the synset for the first verb sense of "balance"
"balance".en.synset( :verb )
# => #<WordNet::Synset:0x4033f448 balance, equilibrate, equilibrize, equilibrise
(verb): "bring into balance or equilibrium; "She has to balance work and her
domestic duties"; "balance the two weights"" (derivations: 7, antonyms: 1,
verbGroups: 2, hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 5)>

# Fetch the second noun sense
"balance".en.synset( 2, :noun )
# => #<WordNet::Synset:0x404ebb24 balance (noun): "a scale for weighing; depends
on pull of gravity" (hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 5)>

# Fetch the second noun sense's hypernyms (more-general words, like a superclass)
"balance".en.synset( 2, :noun ).hypernyms
# => [#<WordNet::Synset:0x404e5620 scale, weighing machine (noun): "a measuring
instrument for weighing; shows amount of mass" (derivations: 2, hypernyms: 1,
hyponyms: 2)>]

# A simpler way of doing the same thing:
"balance".en.hypernyms( 2, :noun )
# => [#<WordNet::Synset:0x404e5620 scale, weighing machine (noun): "a measuring
instrument for weighing; shows amount of mass" (derivations: 2, hypernyms: 1,
hyponyms: 2)>]

# Fetch the first hypernym's hypernyms
"balance".en.synset( 2, :noun ).hypernyms.first.hypernyms
# => [#<WordNet::Synset:0x404c60b8 measuring instrument, measuring system,
measuring device (noun): "instrument that shows the extent or amount or quantity
or degree of something" (hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 83)>]

# Find the synset to which both the second noun sense of "balance" and the
# default sense of "shovel" belong.
("balance".en.synset( 2, :noun ) | "shovel".en.synset)
# => #<WordNet::Synset:0x40473da4 instrumentality, instrumentation (noun): "an
artifact (or system of artifacts) that is instrumental in accomplishing some
end" (derivations: 1, hypernyms: 1, hyponyms: 13)>

# Fetch just the words for the other kinds of "instruments"
"instrument".en.hyponyms.collect {|synset| synset.words}.flatten
# => ["analyzer", "analyser", "cautery", "cauterant", "drafting instrument",
"extractor", "instrument of execution", "instrument of punishment", "measuring
instrument", "measuring system", "measuring device", "medical instrument",
"navigational instrument", "optical instrument", "plotter", "scientific
instrument", "sonograph", "surveying instrument", "surveyor's instrument",
"tracer", "weapon", "arm", "weapon system", "whip"]

Public Class Methods

anchor

def_synset_function( name )

Make a function that calls the method meth on the synset of an input word.

# File lib/linguistics/en/wordnet.rb, line 118
def self::def_synset_function( name )
        define_method( name ) do |*criteria|
                syn = self.synset( *criteria ) or return nil
                return syn.send( name )
        end
end

anchor

lexicon()

The instance of the WordNet::Lexicon used for all Linguistics WordNet functions.

# File lib/linguistics/en/wordnet.rb, line 104
def self::lexicon
        raise self.wordnet_error unless self.has_wordnet?
        @lexicon ||= WordNet::Lexicon::new
end

anchor

lexicon=( newlex )

Set the WordNet::Lexicon used by the linguistic functions.

# File lib/linguistics/en/wordnet.rb, line 111
def self::lexicon=( newlex )
        @lexicon = newlex
end

Public Instance Methods

anchor

synset( *args )

Look up the synset associated with the given word or collocation in the WordNet lexicon and return a WordNet::Synset object.

# File lib/linguistics/en/wordnet.rb, line 137
def synset( *args )
        return Linguistics::EN::WordNet.lexicon[ self.to_s, *args ]
end

anchor

synsets( *args )

Look up all the synsets associated with the given word or collocation in the WordNet lexicon and return an Array of WordNet::Synset objects. If pos is nil, return synsets for all parts of speech.

# File lib/linguistics/en/wordnet.rb, line 145
def synsets( *args )
        return Linguistics::EN::WordNet.lexicon.lookup_synsets( self.to_s, *args )
end